Free speech among world's Muslims limits extremism

3:26 PM,
Oct. 23, 2013

Siddique Malik

Written by

Siddique Malik
| Special to The Courier-Journal

Speaking at the United Nations on Sept. 28, Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, urged Muslims to confront the extremists among them. On Oct. 14, a Malaysian court upheld a government ban on the use by non-Muslims of the word Allah, saying that it is exclusive to Muslims and its use by non-Muslims would confuse Muslims and make them prone to conversion out of Islam.

Razak's wanton hypocrisy has become a hallmark of governments in Muslim-majority countries. They are outdoing each other in suppressing and denigrating non-Muslims. But when these governments' leaders speak before an ...